124 Chapter 124
◎Three Rules◎
Not long after Mu Yun and his friends settled in, the busy farming season began.
The escorts were also paid for working in the fields, so they were naturally willing to take two paychecks. However, they occasionally felt sorry for Madam Cheng, who had spent a lot of money on farming and ended up losing money.
Behind the manor lived several former long-term workers. Mu Yun contacted them and asked if they were willing to become tenants.
Farmhands sold their labor for wages without owning land; tenants rented land from landlords and paid rent. In the past, land didn't produce crops, so people were willing to travel extensively for work and buy food. Now, land has become a granary. With abundant grain yields, farmers not only feed themselves but also earn money selling their crops. Furthermore, outsiders are eager to buy their crops for seed. People from hundreds of miles around lament the lack of land they own. Any available land is being reclaimed, and any available land is being speculated on.
If Madam Cheng is willing to rent her land to them for farming, they would be more than happy to do so.
Since you are planning to leave, you should deal with the things here if you can. Renting land is the only solution.
The current market price is much higher than what Cheng Mu paid for these fields. Most people don’t have the financial resources to buy them, so Mu Yun is also in contact with some large landowners.
"Daddy, are you going to Banbi Village today? Can you take us with you?" Xiaoliu stepped forward to beg, and the seven or eight others behind him also looked pleading.
Cheng Mu grew a lot of vegetable seedlings. Mu Yun brought a bodyguard and took the opportunity to sell seedlings to travel around some surrounding villages. Xiao Liu was very envious. She wanted to sell consecrated purses and other things. It would be great to take a ride on her little dad's coattails.
"Little Dad, we can all help sell them. I have a brochure here with pictures of what the seedlings will look like when they grow and how to eat them."
"Yes, we can help."
The three little ones stood in a row and bowed to Mu Yun.
Sao Hu placed the seedlings neatly one by one on the cart, and the escort led a donkey over.
Gui'er was holding Jiuniu and trying to coax him to sleep. She said to Muyun, "Don't take them with you! Who will play with Jiuniu if they leave?"
Mu Yun patted Xiao Liu's shoulder and said, "Let's go. Daddy will take you there."
Xiaoliu jumped up and said to Guier, "Auntie Gui, you are so mean. I will never help you take care of Jiuniu again!"
Gui'er snorted, "I'm just trying to defend you. You don't know what's good for you!" With Mu Yun's arrogant attitude, if she spoke up for Xiao Liu and the others, he would definitely do the opposite. And now, it happened.
She deliberately said the opposite.
Mu Yun took the children and left in the car. Jiuniu in his arms fell asleep. Guier carried the baby into the house and placed it on the kang.
Xu Xiuying was wrapping some cut potatoes in dust. Saohu was about to go over to help when Gui'er ran up and said, "Go clean up the greenhouse. I'll help Sister Xiuying! Come on, come on!"
After the fox was driven away, the children were asleep, and the troublemakers were all gone, Guier finally found a suitable opportunity. She squatted next to Xu Xiuying.
Xu Xiuying's hands kept moving: "What else do you want to say?"
"These are the three rules between Madam Cheng and Mu Yun. Have you figured out any of them these days?"
"I told you to stay out of this."
"I didn't interfere, not even with my mouth!" Gui'er's gossipy spirit burned fiercely, "I just inserted my eyes."
Xu Xiuying couldn't help but laugh, "Don't keep your eyes on them. Do you think they won't notice you staring at them?"
"Yeah, Mu Yun has been annoying me lately." Gui Er smiled, asking for a beating. "He can't stand me, but he can't do anything to me."
Xu Xiuying poured out another basket of potatoes and cut them into slices skillfully. Guier automatically took over the next step, wrapping them in ash.
Xu Xiuying said, "My first guess is that they don't care about food or drink. The escorts occupy two courtyards. They build their own stoves, cook, wash and clean. Have you noticed that Huaihua and Yapo never do their work?"
Guier nodded: "That's right! Otherwise, I would have nothing to do every day serving seven or eight grown men."
Guier asked, "Anything else?"
Xu Xiuying asked her: "What did you see?"
Gui Er smiled before saying, "Haven't you noticed? Mu Yun doesn't even look at Madam Cheng when he talks now, and he stays away from her. Last time, on the edge of the field, everyone was walking in a line, and Badou and Xiaoqi were making a fuss and trying to cut in. They bumped into Madam Cheng, and she tilted a little. Mu Yun was about to reach out to help her, but he pulled his hand back abruptly, and Madam Cheng fell in the field. Fortunately, she didn't fall down, poof—"
As Gui'er spoke, she couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
Xu Xiuying was also laughing. "Do you still remember the windy day? You were not at home that day, and Madam Cheng put on her veil hat, but it was blown away by the wind. Mu Yun saw it from a distance. With his agility, he could have taken two steps at a time and snatched the hat back from her the moment it left her head. But he took two steps and stopped. He watched Madam Cheng's veil hat fly up and fall into the pond before he went to retrieve it. In the end, Madam Cheng looked at the wet veil hat - hahaha..."
Gui Er felt the same way: "I can imagine Madam Cheng's expression!"
The two of them laughed together. Little things were like stars in the sky, the more they were counted, the more they appeared.
"What's the third one?"
"Uh... selling vegetable seedlings?"
"How much can it be sold for? Besides, Madam Cheng doesn't even need a car to transport it out to sell. Isn't it true that people come to her door every day to ask for it?"
"Then what else..."
In May, during the busiest time, Wu Tao came.
She started by inspecting the Puyang branch last year, and then went to other counties and states on the tenth day of the first lunar month. She completed her trip by inspecting each branch one by one.
"I've always said I'd come to visit you, but I never had the time. Now that I'm finally here, it's the wrong time."
Wu Tao walked through the fields and saw people busy planting rice and harvesting wheat.
Cheng Mu ushered her into the manor. "The farmers are the busiest during these two months, scrambling for the best harvest. But any time is a good time for the boss to come."
Xiao Qi ran out of the yard, and Cheng Mu called him, "Go to the field and call your little father back. Tell him his mother is here."
Xiao Qi stood up straight and saluted Wu Da's head. Wu Tao's eyes moved back and forth between Xiao Qi's face and then returned to Cheng Mu.
Wu Tao said with a smile: "Your boy has grown taller again. He is much taller than he was during the Chinese New Year."
Xiao Qi quickly ran away. Cheng Mu looked at his back and replied, "You've been running around the farm every day since you came back. You've grown a lot stronger."
Cheng Mu led Wu Tao into the main hall and asked Huaihua to make tea and asked the mute woman to kill chickens and geese for a feast.
Nanny Zhu grabbed Cheng's hand and said, "Madam Cheng, please come and sit down."
After they had chatted about their recent situation, Wu Tao smiled and said to Cheng Mu, "Madam Cheng, I knew from the first sight that you were extraordinary. Your behavior and conduct are different from those of ordinary women."
Cheng Mu said modestly, "The eldest lady is a heroine. Cheng Mu feels inferior to her."
Wu Tao said, "Women are supposed to have all kinds of charm, but most are confined to the inner chambers and rarely venture out. You and I are like outliers."
Cheng Mu: "Life is only a hundred years long, but only thirty thousand days. The most important thing is to live the way you like."
"Today I not only want to come and see you, but I also want to talk to you about something."
"Master, please speak."
Wu Tao glanced at Nanny Zhu, who then took over the conversation and said, "The headmaster is worried about Mr. Yun's marriage. I'd like to ask Madam Cheng what you think."
Cheng Mu was already very annoyed by the fact that this matter had not been resolved yet. "I will also speak openly with the boss today. Although Mu Yun and I used to have an uncle-sister-in-law relationship, he is, after all, the son of the Wuwei Escort Agency. His marriage should be decided by the boss. Don't mention this matter to me in the future. I can't help, and I don't want to get involved."
"Mrs. Cheng, please don't be upset. I was wrong. Please listen to me from the beginning."
Wu Tao exchanged glances with Nanny Zhu, who chose to speak herself, "Before I met you, I knew from Qi Song's report that Mu Yun treated you with distinction. Later, when Mu Yun brought you back to the escort agency despite your serious illness, I realized how much he valued you. The fact that he went to the Mongols to rescue you showed that he valued you more than his own life. Asking you to help look after the young lady was a test of mine, to test both you and him."
Cheng Mu felt very uncomfortable after hearing this. "Does the boss think there's something fishy going on between us? Or is it because I wasn't a good sister-in-law?"
"Mrs. Cheng, you're being overly suspicious," said Nanny Zhu. "The headmaster was just testing your affection."
"I don't have any messy feelings for him."
Cheng Xi answered decisively.
Wu Tao quickly said, "Madam Cheng, don't be angry. I'm not here to accuse you today."
At this time, Mu Yun came.
Everyone fell silent in tacit agreement.
Mu Yun keenly noticed that the atmosphere in the hall was not right and stepped over the threshold. "Why is the boss here?"
Cheng Xi stood up and said, "You guys chat, I'll go to the kitchen to make some arrangements."
Wu Tao and Nanny Zhu both looked at Mu Yun.
He was wearing a short coarse cloth shirt, his trouser legs were tied up, his shoes were covered with mud, his hair was tied up and wrapped in a cloth towel, and he had just taken off his straw hat before entering the house. He was no different from other farmers in the village.
Wu Tao said, "Come and see what you and your escorts are doing."
Mu Yun sat on the chair that Cheng Mu had just sat on. Nanny Zhu quickly poured him a bowl of tea, which Mu Yun drank in big gulps. "Are you satisfied?" she asked.
Wu Tao declined to comment.
Nanny Zhu asked, "Master Yun, do you have to work in the fields even here? Isn't it tiring?"
Mu Yun held the tea bowl and said, "Big Boss, are you not satisfied with managing such a large family business? Or have you been in peace for too long and are you craving for trouble?"
Nanny Zhu said, "The headmistress is concerned about the young master."
Mu Yun put down the tea bowl heavily. "Our relationship was forced to begin with. Now we are just getting what we need. Don't worry about irrelevant matters, Boss."
Maybe it was because she had been with him for too long, but Wu Tao became increasingly immune to his attitude, which no longer stirred up much emotion in her heart.
What's more, Madam Cheng had no interest in him, but he just kept sticking to her and taking on the heavy lifting of shaving. Wu Tao actually felt sorry for him.
"My main purpose of this trip is to visit Madam Cheng. I'm just visiting you by the way. Go ahead and do your work."
Xu Xiuying came over and said, "Boss, Madam Cheng asked me to show you around the farm. Please."
Nanny Zhu sighed. It seemed that Madam Cheng had really been annoyed just now, as she didn't even show up.
Wu Tao and Nanny Zhu came with a lot of thoughts in their mind, and they were not in a good position to speak to Madam Cheng. Mu Yun also blocked them back. If things are not said clearly, they should explain it to her clearly before leaving.
Several children in the village were having fun. Xiaoqi just saw them and she looked at Xiaoliu again.
Xu Xiuying called Liuqiba over to greet him, hugged Badou and said, "This silly son is mine."
Everyone knew that this was Mu Yun's mother, and they bowed politely, saying, "Hello, Boss."
Seeing that the children's foreheads were wet, Xu Xiuying took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off their foreheads one by one.
Nanny Zhu whispered to Wu Tao, "Neither of them followed Madam Cheng. They are nothing like her in any way."
Wu Tao had heard from Nanny Zhu that Madam Cheng did not look like a woman who had given birth, and was most likely still a virgin.
"Mu Yun might know the details, but he just won't tell me."
They went to see the various seedlings in the greenhouse. After a walk around, they felt that the village was bustling with vitality and all affairs were in order.
"Boss, this matter is just that Madam Cheng is not interested, but Master Yun is obsessed with her. If we bring it up again, it will only make her more angry, and it will hurt their relationship, which is not good."
Nanny Zhu advised, "There's no need to rush Mr. Yun's marriage."
Wu Tao also gave up the idea of discussing this matter with Cheng Mu, "It's better to let Mu Yun suffer a little."
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